Author Topic: Track racing gear inches  (Read 1765 times)

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
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Track racing gear inches
« on: 12 November, 2017, 04:31:13 pm »
Just watching the kilo TT from Manchester on the telly box. The gears the kilo riders were using appear to be huge.  Any idea what?
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Re: Track racing gear inches
« Reply #1 on: 12 November, 2017, 04:46:26 pm »
Gears have gone up and up since my day - but riders are also going faster so the cadence is still quite high. I don’t know exactly what the kilo riders were on, but I do know that it’s now common for sprint event riders to use 110” and even bigger.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Track racing gear inches
« Reply #2 on: 12 November, 2017, 04:47:19 pm »
Depends on the rider quality. I used to run about 94" depending on the track and my fitness level. I understand that 110+" isn't that unusual now. I only ever used that sort of gearing on the track tandem.
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Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Track racing gear inches
« Reply #3 on: 14 November, 2017, 05:19:45 pm »
I'm sure I remember reading that Merckx used about 77" for the hour.
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LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Track racing gear inches
« Reply #4 on: 14 November, 2017, 05:25:23 pm »
The memory is incorrect. Though I can't remember Merckx's actual HR gear, he was known for thumping big gears.

http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/riderhistories/Merckx-Hour-Record.html suggests 52x14 or 100".
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Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Track racing gear inches
« Reply #5 on: 14 November, 2017, 05:36:55 pm »
Sounds likely! I had a look in the book I thought I'd read it in and couldn't find anything about it, so...
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